February - Kitchen
1.Boil water for no more than one minute when cooking hard boiled eggs
Up until recently I was letting my eggs boil for 10-15 minutes, which as it turns out is way longer than necessary! Upon asking google how long it takes to make a hard boiled egg, I learned that for best results you should actually turn the burner off no more than a minute after the water begins boiling and then simply leave the egg sitting in the hot water for 10 minutes or so with the burner turned off. The same is true for corn on the cob.
2. Unplug small appliances between use
When left plugged in, electronic devices continue to use a significant amount of energy even when turned off. It is estimated that this “phantom power” accounts for about 10% of energy use in an average home. So get in the habit of unplugging your coffee maker, blender…etc. between uses.
3. Choose stove top, microwave, or slow cooker over your oven
It takes a lot more energy to cook something in your oven compared to most other cooking methods. Aim to use your oven less, opting instead for your stove top, microwave, or slow cooker. Side note: When cooking on your stove top, be mindful of matching your pots and pans to the appropriate burner size and also use lids when possible. This will minimize heat loss and reduce cooking time.
4. Ditch the beef
I was surprised to learn that animal agriculture is arguably the most significant contributor to deforestation and global warming. That’s right… those burgers you’re eating cause more damage to the environment than the car you drive. Beef is a particularly inefficient food source. The amount of energy, land, and water it takes to produce a pound beef relative to other types of food is ASTOUNDING. Here is a graph that gives you an idea of how energy inefficient beef is compared to other common foods:
Source:
http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/energy-required-to-produce-a-pound-of-food.html
Another big problem with beef is the associated methane gas production (i.e. cow farts!). Methane is a greenhouse gas like CO2, only worse because it is 21 times better at trapping heat, and thus a primary cause of global warming.
See this article for more on this topic:
http://www.ibtimes.com/cow-farts-have-larger-greenhouse-gas-impact-previously-thought-methane-pushes-climate-change-1487502
If you’re like me and aren’t ready to give up meat altogether, you can make a huge difference simply by cutting down on beef specifically.
A few ideas for easy/yummy beef substitutes:
a) At your next barbecue offer a chicken and/or veggie burger option on top of or instead of beef. I like these Gardein ones:
b) For taco night, choose fish or ground chicken rather than ground beef. Or better yet, go meatless. I’ve tried this vegan taco meat and it’s not bad once you’ve added all your fixings to it:
c) Eat more soup. Who doesn’t love soup? There are a million amazing soup recipes out there that call for zero meat or dairy. If you’re worried about not getting enough protein, choose recipes that incorporate beans, lentils, or quinoa. I’ve gotten in the habit of making a big pot of soup about once a week. Most soups freeze well so I always stash a few single portions in Ziploc bags in the freezer for later. These are great to bring to work for lunches or to pull out for dinner on nights where you don’t have the time or energy to cook.
d) For stir fries, try substituting half (or all) the meat you would usually use with... please hear me out on this one.... Extra Firm Tofu. When done right, tofu is actually quite tasty. I will admit that the first time I used tofu in a stir fry it was beyond gross, but this is because I just opened up the package, chopped it up into cubes and tossed it into the pan with my veggies and sauce. I have since learned a way of preparing tofu that drastically improves the taste and texture. My husband Brian is a notoriously picky eater and even he will eat tofu when prepared this way:
1. Start by freezing it. This step is essential. I can’t tell you why but freezing tofu before cooking it makes it more chewy and less slimy. If you’re likely to be cooking for just one or two people, cut your slab of tofu into a few smaller chunks and place in a Ziploc bag before putting it in the freezer. This way when you’re ready to cook it you can just pull out what you will need for that meal.
2. A few hours before meal time, bring a pot of water to a boil, take however much tofu you want to use out of the freezer and submerge it in the boiling water for 15 minutes or so.
3. Remove it from the boiling water and wrap it in a dish towel for a few minutes to sop up some of the excess water. Once it’s cool enough to handle cut it into slices or cubes.
4. Marinate it as you would any meat. A little garlic, oil, and soy sauce works well. Or simply toss it in whatever sauce you’ll be using for the stir fry (butter chicken or thai peanut sauces are yummy choices).
5. Heat some oil in a frying pan or wok. Place your tofu in a single layer on the pan for about 5 minutes then flip onto other side for another 5 minutes or so. You can cook your veggies simultaneously in the same pan around the tofu, just be careful not to flip the tofu around too much because you want to make sure it cooks equally on each side.
6. Add your sauce and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
7. Snap a photo of your meal and post to your various social media accounts, inspiring others to try vegetarian or vegan recipes! #veganbrag
If you have any vegetarian/vegan cooking tips or recipes that don’t require the use of an oven, please share here or post them to the go greenish facebook page :)
DISCLAIMER: I still plan on eating beef once in a while, so if you catch me at the Keg please spare me the snarky comments insinuating that I’m a hypocrite. In addition to the occasional steak, in all honesty there are a few cow-based meals that I may never give up. Specifically, my mom’s beef barley soup and THE FLANK (i.e. my mother-in-law’s marinated flank steak).
One of the things I am trying to do with this post is offer an alternative to the all or nothing mentality when it comes to meat/dairy consumption. If you’re not interested in going vegan… I totally get it. I don’t want to do it either! I am on the other hand very much up for working on cutting down on the amount of meat I eat (especially beef) and hope that this blog will inspire those of you who would never dream of going vegan to at least consider cutting down on meat a wee bit and incorporating more non-animal derived foods into your diet.
Last but not least…